Teen Grief

Losing a guardian is one of life's hardest challenges to face. At the age of 14, I lost my mother to cancer. That early experience of loss and my journey through grief were the first steps towards a lifetime of studying the process of grief in order to guide people through their own difficult journeys....

Charlie, a musical theater nerd with a deep appreciation for sprinkle-topped ice cream and other snack foods, is active in his church and comes from a family who loves and appreciates him for exactly who he is, purple pants and all. Tim, a lover of crinkle-cut pickles, black olives, and other forgivably disgusting crudités, belongs to a conservative Christian pastor and devout mother who move to the rural town to staff a small church that, predictably, holds little place for Tim. After meeting online and attending a youth group at another church, Tim and Charlie become fast friends.

Ronnie Rhinehart, better known as Rhino on the field, is the captain of his high school team in Woodhaven, a small town obsessed with football. His only goal is to earn a Division I football scholarship so he can escape this town forever. Until the day he punches Josh Kremens in the face. To avoid serious punishment and stay in school, Ronnie is forced to join Group, a cast of misfits who discuss their feelings with a counselor. At the same time, tensions are rising on the football team.

Rowena feels like her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. After her mother died a few years ago, she and her sister, Ariana, drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive. But then Ariana disappears under the cover of night in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving no trace or tracks. When Row wakes up to a world of snow and her sister's empty bedroom, she is left to piece together the mystery behind where Ariana went and why.

Here is a book to help you or a loved one think and work through grief. Many times people have no one to talk to about their loss. This book is also a resource to use to help lead a grief group discussion about the four tasks of grief. To learn more go to Grievingteens.com, GrievingTeensPublishing.com.

I was 17 when my mum died from breast cancer. At that time, and for a period afterwards, I wasn't able to express myself verbally, so I turned to writing. It was cathartic, though I never had the courage to share what I wrote, let alone attempt to publish my work. I wouldn't claim to be a poet, or a writer, however, 20 years on, I feel ready to share. My hope is that these poems, written while I was still a teenager, will inspire, as well as be understood, whichever way you interpret them.

"The girls are worried about Lauren. She’s saying things that are scaring them.” These two text messages from my best friends began a chain of events that led to us being blindsided by suicide. Our 14-year-old daughter made her attempt at ending her life in our bedroom and succumbed to her injuries seven hours later. My bright, beautiful, talented, brave, funny, and serious daughter was gone. No one saw it coming.

Highly relatable, comforting, and nurturing, RIP Corey offers listeners a BIG HUG when they need it most. Designed by a nationally-certified speech-language pathologist in collaboration with children's grief experts around the country, this life-changing resource provides young people of all abilities an understanding of grief and a practical guide to navigating the intense emotions that can come with loss.